He Who Covets the Abandoned Bride (10 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 9
Prince Reynald and the other princes, who had hastily fled due to the sudden, strange earthquake, had gathered at the Queen’s palace.
“What the hell is going on? The whole place shook violently, yet other areas are perfectly fine? Does that even make sense?”
Amid the crowd that had gathered, the loudest voice belonged to the First Prince, who was now raising a fuss over whether the building might have suffered serious damage.
Reynald watched from a distance as other princes and their consorts pressured officials from the Royal Palace Management Bureau, then beckoned his own servant with a gesture.
“…Did you check whether she actually got out?”
“Well, it’s unclear whether she made it out, but from outside, they say her room was on fire.”
“Damn it….”
Reynald pressed his temples and muttered a curse through clenched teeth.
Only after escaping the building and rushing to the Queen’s palace did Reynald realize that Laila was nowhere near him. Even Laila’s maids and knights, who had come with her from Pilmer, were nowhere to be seen.
Though fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—none of his siblings or their families seemed to notice her absence, someone would surely bring it up soon.
‘She couldn’t have… died without making it out, could she?’
Reynald sighed again, imagining the worst-case scenario.
If that truly happened, it would be a major crisis.
No matter how insignificant the Kingdom of Wessex might be, or how much of an outcast Princess Laila was, her value as a wielder of Harmonizing ability remained extremely high.
Hadn’t even Reynald’s own father, the King of Pilmer, arranged this marriage precisely to establish even the smallest connection with her side?
If she really emerged as nothing but a corpse, it would be a serious problem.
Already in Reynald’s mind flashed an image of Laila Wessex discovered as nothing more than a charred lump.
While Reynald nervously clenched and unclenched his fists, the evacuees were assigned rooms and dispersed.
Reynald too went into his room, pretending to sleep, then slipped back outside once the corridor fell completely silent.
He crossed the palace’s dark corridors with his servant and returned to the princes’ apartments.
Foot traffic from the Royal Palace’s central courtyard toward that area was bustling.
Not just royal servants and maids, but also officials from the management bureau and other staff—all were scrambling frantically to extinguish the fire—while Reynald stood dazed, staring at the thick black smoke blanketing the sky.
Suddenly, he whipped around toward his servant and snapped,
“Why the hell didn’t anyone look after the princess?”
“Well, everything happened so chaotically… Come to think of it, I think someone saw the princess’s maid heading back inside after that.”
“Are you sure?”
“Not entirely sure… But remember, when we left, there was no fire yet. So maybe she’ll show up safe and sound from somewhere soon.”
After shooting a disdainful glare at his servant for spouting such naive optimism, Reynald approached the building. Some people were emerging, supported by their comrades—apparently injured while cleaning up the aftermath.
Reynald scanned the crowd, searching for Laila or her maids.
‘Why the hell am I going through all this trouble…?’
He ground his teeth inwardly—then suddenly noticed someone else acting just like him. Recognizing the familiar face, Reynald brightened and quickly approached her.
“Hey!”
“Ah!”
Startled by the hand tapping her shoulder, the other person let out a strange yelp. While Reynald frowned in irritation, Alice, Laila’s maid, turned to see him and gasped.
“P-Prince Reynald?”
Her freckled face looked up at him with wide eyes. Judging by her expression, she clearly hadn’t found Laila either—but Reynald asked anyway.
“Do you know what happened to Laila? Weren’t you together?”
“Well, right after the building shook, I went straight to the princess’s room, but she wasn’t there… I thought she might have already evacuated, so I came back out—but I can’t find her anywhere.”
“….”
She went to the room right after and didn’t find her?
Then perhaps, as the maid suggested, Laila had taken shelter somewhere entirely different and simply hadn’t returned yet.
‘Could she have run away during all this chaos? Surely not because she didn’t want to get engaged?’
If so, he’d have to drag her back even if he had to search the entire kingdom. What a bothersome woman—yet canceling the marriage outright wasn’t an option either.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Alice spoke again.
“Didn’t you, Your Highness, say you’d personally escort our princess back to her room just before this happened?”
Caught off guard by the maid’s question, Reynald struggled for a response. After a moment’s thought, he hastily fabricated an excuse.
“Well, yes—but when the building shook, I was already on my way back to my own room. I honestly don’t know why Laila wasn’t in hers.”
As he answered, his feelings grew conflicted. Alice’s face, too, seemed to darken with despair.
“Then….”
Seeing her gaze turn toward the building, Reynald guessed she must be worried something terrible had happened inside.
Yet, considering he himself had only shown up late due to his own negligence, it felt rather hypocritical of her to act so distraught.
With an annoyed glance, Reynald grabbed her arm and pulled her along.
Though the very idea of showing concern for someone else irritated him, if Laila really had run off, he could use this maid to lure her back.
“Everyone’s been relocated to new quarters, so go rest there for now. The princess will surely show up once she hears the news, won’t she?”
Hearing the suggestion to rest, Alice hesitated slightly before asking cautiously,
“Is that… really alright?”
“Of course. You must be shaken—go calm yourself. I’ll find the princess.”
After replying, Reynald signaled his servant. He handed Alice over to him and headed toward the building himself.
Among the constant flow of people, Reynald kept a sharp eye out.
Given the chaotic circumstances, though some recognized him and bowed their heads, no one stopped him or waited for his instructions.
He’d already left his cumbersome outer robe that marked his status in a corner. Grabbing a passerby, he obtained a damp cloth to cover his face, then slipped inside unnoticed amid the diverted attention.
The corridor was covered in soot, but thankfully, the flames along the path to Laila’s room had somewhat subsided.
He easily navigated the hallway, avoiding the remaining embers, and returned to Laila’s room.
As the maid had said, Laila was nowhere in sight. Still, fearing that foolish woman might be hiding somewhere inside, he called out.
“Laila?”
No reply. As he stepped deeper inside, a crunching sound echoed—glass shattered underfoot. The tremor had knocked all sorts of objects to the floor.
Sighing, he moved into the dark interior, all the while mentally rehearsing various scenarios.
If Laila had run away.
Or if she’d burned to death somewhere.
Either way, Reynald himself needed to appear as the victim of this sudden disaster.
He’d be the devoted fiancé who’d plunged into the flames to find his betrothed—only to be betrayed—or the heartbroken man who’d lost his beloved.
First, he smeared black soot from the floor onto his clothes and face.
“Damn… Why do I have to stoop to this…?”
It felt truly degrading, but he had no choice—he needed everyone to believe he’d done everything possible to find Laila.
Then his eyes fell on the connecting door at the side of the room, still closed.
Could Laila be inside?
Even if she were hiding there, she’d likely already suffocated to death.
‘But if she’s still alive…’
He briefly considered looking for a weapon to slit her throat—but then realized she was utterly powerless on her own, so killing her wasn’t necessary.
Besides, she was admittedly pretty. He could always keep her shuttling between his bed and others’, crying all the while.
‘Though if the smoke made her stupid, she’d be even more useful.’
Then he’d be able to manipulate her as he pleased.
After scattering more black ash onto himself, Reynald opened the main door to the room.
Though the door showed no burn marks and the flames hadn’t reached this far, as soon as he opened it, a thick wave of acrid smoke billowed out.
Covering his nose and mouth with the damp cloth, he peered into the dim interior and called out again, more suggestively this time.
“Laila, Laila… Are you in here?”
This time, a reply came.
“I knew you’d come back.”
But the voice came from behind—and wasn’t Laila’s at all.
It was a man’s voice.
A chill ran down Reynald’s spine just as he began to turn around. Suddenly, a sharp kick struck the back of his knee, and his body buckled forward.
He landed face-first on the floor in an undignified sprawl, losing hold of the damp cloth. The stinging smoke rushed into his nostrils, triggering a violent, uncontrollable coughing fit.
Disoriented, he turned and shouted,
“What the hell—who are you?! How dare you…!”
But he never finished the sentence. With a loud bang, the door slammed shut, and a heavy blow struck the back of his head and spine—he’d crashed into the wall.
Still unable to grasp what was happening, Reynald staggered, his head spinning. He collapsed before he could even steady himself.
Soon, a foot pressed under his chin, tilting his face upward.
His vision, already blurred from a sudden nosebleed, met Millay’s cold eyes gazing down at him.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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